Faculty

Elizabeth Brooks,
Ph.D

I received my BA in History from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, MAT in Social Studies (concentration in History) from UNC-Chapel Hill, and my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University in December 2005. I have taught secondary social studies across three states (North Carolina, Georgia, and New York), participated in a National Science Foundation grant focused on issues-centered teaching and learning, and, during the first years of my teaching career, was part of two faculty teams specifically selected to ease the early days of school integration. Since coming to Kent in 1990, I have served as a Teaching Fellow and then as Non-tenure Track Faculty in the elementary, middle childhood, and adolescent-young adult teacher education programs. Currently, I coordinate the Middle Childhood Education program on the Kent campus, coordinate the adolescent-young adult (ADED) social studies practicum, and advise in both the MCED and the ADED programs. My research interests are focused on social studies teacher education and the academic content standards, teacher beliefs, and the impact of field experience on teacher development.

Dr. Christopher Busey

My career path began at the University of Florida where I received a B.A. in political science. My professional teaching career began in Orlando, FL, where I taught AP Government, United States History, and Global Studies for several years while simultaneously completing my Masters of Arts in social science education at the University of Central Florida. Immediately upon obtaining my masters, I taught in New York City public schools and then returned to the University of Central Florida where I earned a Ph.D. in Social Science Education in 2013. During my doctoral coursework, I taught for a semester in Miranda de Ebro, Spain, and spent my final two years as a middle school social studies teacher in Orlando, FL. My experiences working with outstanding diverse students have directly influenced my research interests, which are centered on improving social studies education for culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse learners both domestically and abroad. I am also interested in researching innovative ways for improving and analyzing social studies teacher education, curriculum, and pedagogy. I am also the coordinator for the Kent State Holmes Scholars program.

Joanne Caniglia,
Ph.D

Joanne Caniglia earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics at John Carroll University and her masters in mathematics at Youngstown State University. She was a secondary teacher and department chair in Niles and Akron, Ohio for 12 years and spent time as a graduate researcher at Kent State University where she received her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Mathematics Education. She taught for 14 years at Eastern Michigan University where she was Professor of Mathematics Education. While there she was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Governor's Award for Distinguished Teaching. Her research investigates effective professional development models in urban settings. She is a PI and Co-PI for many National Science Foundation and Board of Regents inititiatives.

Scott Courtney, Ph.D.

I am a recent transplant from Arizona, having completed my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Mathematics Education) from Arizona State University. Prior to moving to Kent, I was fortunate to have been provided with opportunities to teach a variety of mathematics and statistics courses at both the secondary and tertiary levels. My research interests are driven by inquiry, by a desire to attain insights into: 1) students’ and teachers’ conceptions of mathematics ideas within the 6-12 curriculum; 2) the kinds of instructional engagements that are propitious for student development of intended ideas and ways of thinking; and 3) teachers’ conceptions and ways of thinking that either support or constrain their capacity to transform their ways of operating with cognitive structures that are more conceptually oriented. When not engaged in teaching or research, I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughters.

Alicia Crowe,
Ph.D

I am an Associate Professor of Middle and Secondary Social Studies Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. I love to teach and study teaching. It is wonderful to be a part of the growth of new and experienced teachers. I am very interested and do research in teacher education, social studies education, teacher learning, and technology integration in social studies education at both the secondary and pre-service levels.

Lisa Donnelly,
Ph.D

I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching, Leadership, and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. I taught high school biology and K-8 informal science in Indiana before earning my doctorate in science education from Indiana University Bloomington. My research interests center upon the teaching and learning of evolution and the nature of science and how state biology standards support and constrain this teaching and learning. I regularly present and publish on these fascinating topics, and some of my work has appeared in Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Research in Science Education, and International Journal of Science Education. Here at Kent State, I very much enjoy teaching science methods for preservice undergraduate and MAT preservice teachers as well as graduate courses in science education.

Joanne Dowdy,
Ph.D

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy is a Professor at Kent State University, Ohio. A graduate of the Juilliard School in the theatre division, Dr. Dowdy continues to use her drama training to prepare teachers for the literacy classroom, and as a performer who facilitates writing development through interactive workshops. Her major research interests include documenting the experiences of Black women involved in education from adult basic literacy to higher education. She has written and edited twe;ve books. Her first book is a volume co-edited with Dr. Lisa Delpit, entitled, The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom (The New Press). Her second book, GED Stories: Black Women & Their Struggle for Social Equity, is published by Peter Lang. Her fifth book: Ph.D. Stories: Conversations with My Sisters, is published by Hampton Press and was awarded the 2009 American Educational Research Association Narrative and Research Special Interest Group's Outstanding Book Award. In The Public Eye, was released in October, 2009 by Commess University press. Connecting the Literacy Puzzle was released by Hampton Press in May, 2010. In 2014, OLYMPIC HERO: LENNOX KILGOUR'S STORY will be released by Caribbean Studies Press. This is Dr. Dowdy's first children's book.

Walter Gershon,
Ph.D

Walter S. Gershon is an Assistant Professor in the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, RiversideHis scholarly interests focus on the ways in which students make sense in educational contexts and how they and other educational actors construct meaning through their senses, particularly in and through sound. This interest tends to center on questions about the relationship between curriculum and students, the ways in which sociocultural precepts inform this relationship, and the qualitative research methodologies utilized to study educational actors’ sensemaking. Walter is the author of The Collaborative Turn: Working Together in Qualitative Research (Sense Publishing, 2009) and is guest editor of a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing that explores the intersection of curriculum and the senses. Prior to his time in higher education, Walter taught in urban schools in the United States and in rural and urban contexts in Japan.

Todd Hawley,
Ph.D

Todd S. Hawley is an Associate Professor in the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. His research interests include rationale-development as a core theme of social studies teacher education and the transformative possibilities of justice-oriented social studies teacher education. He is committed to resist, through civic action, the corporate take over of teaching and teacher education. Additionally, he works to create and sustain informal, collaborative spaces for teachers and teacher educators. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., he taught high school social studies in the Atlanta Public Schools and at Oglethorpe County High School.

Dr. Kristine Pytash

Kristine E. Pytash is an assistant professor in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University’s College of Education, Health, and Human Services, where she co-directs the secondary Integrated Language Arts teacher preparation program. She was a former high school English teacher. Her research focuses on disciplinary writing, the literacy practices of youth in alternative schools and juvenile detention facilities, and preparing preservice teachers to teach writing.

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